Communication devices, such as portable two-way radios operated by public safety personnel, are operated through a variety of user interface control features. Such control features typically include volume adjustment, channel change, and menu driven displays. Public safety personnel, such as law enforcement officers and firefighters, use their radios under a variety of work conditions exchanging communications with other personnel. It would be advantageous for the users of these radios to be able to turn on and off an additional function; however the ability to add another radio control function must be balanced with the space constraints of the radio. An additional button would take much needed room, and a menu feature would be cumbersome to initiate. Also, in mission critical applications where a control knob is sized for gloved usage, large knobs are highly desirable. Hence, it would be preferable not to impact the size and number of knobs on the radio.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a radio with an additional control function that does not require the addition of a new button or menu feature.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.